Big Dreams: Characteristics You Need as You Climb the Ladder of Success

Have you ever wondered how people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and others made it to the top?  As a young girl I dreamt of being a highly successful attorney.  One that had it all… the nice house, the nice car, and certainly the finest guy (just joking)!   While my plan as a young child didn’t fully develop as expected, I have managed to find success in many areas of my life.  Over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of soul searching.  Thinking about what my next big breakout moment will be.  I know inside that I have more in me.  So I started thinking about successful people that have graced this earth and what characteristics they have in common that led them to the top of the success ladder.  Which of these areas have I mastered and which ones can I improve on.  In my research I came across some common themes or characteristics that many of those that have risen to the top have. 

Be passionate about what you do:  Doors open for successful people because they are passionate about what they do and where they are going.  You have to find value in what you do.  If you don’t believe that what you do is of value you will quickly find yourself falling off the ladder not climbing it!

Never get complacent:  Successful people are always looking for ways to improve what they do.  They know that where they are right now is not where they are going to be in 5 years.  They have a burning desire to make mountains move. 

Work hard:  You’ve heard this a thousand times in order to play hard you have to work hard.  Enough said.

Always continue to educate yourself:  Highly successful people have a thirst for knowledge that even a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven can’t quench!  They ask a million questions and are reading up on various topics all of the time. But what makes them even more special is that they don’t just study…they APPLY the things they learn!

Hold yourself accountable:  Successful people are responsible people.  They hold themselves accountable and take responsibility for the things that happen in their lives.  That is the good and the bad things.  When things don’t go as plan they own up to it and learn from it.

Chill out: Stressing out over issues that do not appear to be moving in our favor is counter-productive.  Those who are successful can manage their stress levels well.  They don’t waste precious time squandering away in anxiety.  Instead, they find solutions to problems and correct them.

Keep your eye on the ball: It’s the 9^th inning of the game and your team is down by one run.  The bases are loaded and you’re up to bat.  Does your coach tell you to just go up to bat, close your eyes,  and wing it or does he tell you to hit a line drive past 1^st base to allow the third basemen to come in home? Okay, so I might not be a baseball guru but you get the point.  It would be, for a lack of better words CRAZY to go up to bat with your eyes closed and wing it.   You have to have a game plan to WIN!  Without a game plan to get you to where you are going you will find yourself striking out.  Successful people see visions of themselves in the future and create game plans to get them to where they want to be.

Think outside the box:  Successful people are creative!  They strategize and come up with new ways to improve what they are currently doing.  They take chances to see what works.  They don’t wait around for someone to tell them what they should be trying… they seek out new ideas on their own. 

Don’t be a day-dreamer be a day-doer:  Successful people take action!  They don’t spend their days dreaming about their next big move.  Instead, they spend their days developing their next big move.  You might be thinking to yourself if you can’t dream it, you can’t see it, and therefore can’t be it.  That would be a correct statement but what sets successful people apart from those who are just getting by is that when they have dreamt their knew idea they start working on it right away.  They don’t wait until the idea is just perfect, or the time is just perfect.  There is no time like the present. 

Network:  So you have all of the above star qualities but still can’t catch your next big break? You have to get connected.  What good is it to know you are fantastic if you don’t have the connections to get in front of people so that they know it as well.  Successful people have many connections.  They know everyone in their industry and even many outside it.  They work on staying in touch and letting people know what they are doing.  This isn’t bolstering or bragging.  It is strategic planning.  You have to know who is at the top of the ladder and they have to know you are trying to climb it so they can help you reach the top. 

What characteristics have you found to be most essential as you have climbed up your ladder of success?